Gas-engine.



No. 674,709. Patented. May 2|, I90I.

J. RUURK, Decd.

P. H. O'DONNELL, Administrator.

GAS ENGINE.

(Application filed Aug. 4. 1900.)

Patented May 2|, IBM.-

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G A S E N G I N E.

(Application filed Aug. 4, 1909.)

J ROURK, Decd P. H. O'DONNELL, Administrator.

7 fi/ 70 6775 My 771/676 07 ifi ti No, 674,709. Patented May 2|, I901.

J. ROURK, Decd.

P. u. ODONNELL, Administrator. GAS ENG INE. (Application filed Aug. 4, 1900.) (No Mode\.) 3 Shuts-Sheet 3.

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PATRICK H. ODONNELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ADMINISTRATOR OF JOHN ROURK, DECEASED.

GAS-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 674,709, dated May 21, 1901.

Application filed August 4, 1900. Serial No. 896. (No model.)

To wZ whom it m y COW/067%! compressed air in the inclosing chest, thus Beit knownthat I,PATRICKH.ODONNELL, augmenting the pressure therein; As soon a citizen of the United States, and a resident as the pressure of air within the chest exof Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illiceeds the pressure within the radiator, due to 5 nois, am the administrator of the estate of the increasing pressure within the chest and JOHN ROURK, deceased, late a resident of the decreasing pressure within the radiator, Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illiowingto the escape of the gases into the powernois, who invented certain new and useful cylinder and the loss of their heat to the air, Improvements in Gas-Engines,of which inventhe induction-port leading from the air-chest 10 tion the following is aspecification,and which to the combustion-chamber opens by the yieldis illustrated in the accompanying drawings, ing of the check-valve, and the compressed forming a part thereof. air, which greatly exceeds in volume the ca- This invention relates to engines in which pacity of the combustion chamber, rushes power is developed by the combustion of through the latter into the power-cylinder 15 gases, its object being to generally improve and expanding therein forces out the piston. engines of this class and to increase their ef- Preferably two such radiators and air-chests ficiency. are used, and each is inclosed within an ex- The invention consists in the mechanism haust-shell, into which the exhaust from the hereinafter fully described,and which is illuspower-cylinder is discharged upon the return 2o trated in the accompanying drawings, in stroke of the piston. The power is developed whichalternately in the two radiators, and the ex- Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section haust is through the shell inclosing the radiaand partly in elevation, of a reciprocating entor which is next to be brought into service, gine into which the invention is incorposo that the air within the chest inclosing such z 5 rated. Fig. 2 is a detail of certain parts of a radiator is partially heated, or at least is kept pump used in connection with the engine. from cooling by being enveloped in the com- Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are sectional details on paratively hot gases of the exhaust. This apthe lines 3 3, 4 4, 5 5, and 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. paratus, together with the necessary pumps 7 is a sectional detail on the line 7 7 of Fig. for providing the fuel and compressed air, 3o 9. Figs. 8 and 9 are details in elevation of may be applied to many, indeed to most, types certain parts viewed from the lines 8 8 and of gas-engines now in use. They are shown 9 9, respectively, of Fig. 1, outlines of other in the drawings and are hereinafter described parts of the engine being indicated by dotted as applied to a single-acting reciprocating enlines. gine, though by reason of the comparatively 3 5 The principle of action of the improved enlow temperature at which the gases and air gine is as follows: A combustible charge unare applied to the piston it would be entirely der pressure is ignited in a combustion-chamfeasible to so construct the engine that power her or radiator, which is inclosed within a might be applied to both sides of the piston. chest filled with compressed air, the radiator In the drawings there is shown a power-cylo 40 having a valve-controlled passage leading to inder 15, within which reciprocates a piston the cylinder of the engine and an induction- 16, connected, by means of a pitman 17, to port closed by an inwardly :opening checkthe crank of a shaft 18, upon which there are valve communicating with the inclosing airmounted balance-wheels l9 and 20. chest. The combustible charge having been The radiator is preferably, though not nec- 5 5 ignited, the passage leading from the combusessarily, of tubular form and is shown as comtion-chamber to the power-cylinder is opened, prising a plurality of tubes 21, having their and the gases due to the combustion escape ends set in the cases 22 and 23 in the one inthereinto, and thus apply initial pressure to stance and in the case of the other radiator the piston. Much of the heat developed by comprising the pipes 24, set in the cases or I00 50 the combustion escapes through the walls of headers 25 26. Each of the radiators is inthe radiator and raises the temperature of the closed within a strong sheet-metal chest 27 28 of considerably greater capacity than the radiator itself, and each of these chests is inclosed within an outer shell 29 30, secured to the head of the cylinder 15. The radiators are supplied with fuel through the pipes 31 32, leading, respectively, from opposite ends of the cylinder 33 of a pump. The compressed air is led to the chests 27 28, respectively, through the pipes 34 35, leading from the opposite ends of the cylinder 36 of an air-pu mp. The fuel and air pumps are of the reciprocating type and are arranged tandem, so that their pistons may be driven by a single rod 37, which is connected by a pitman 38 to a crank 39, mounted upon a suitable shaft, which also carries a gear-wheel 40, intermeshing with and driven by a pinion 41, mounted upon the power-shaft 18. A pipe 42 leads from any suitable fuel-reservoir to the distributing-pipes 43 44, entering, respectively, the opposite ends of the cylinder 33. Checkvalves 45 46 are located in each of the distributing-pipes, so as to close at the return stroke of the piston, opening freely to suction occasioned thereby. Each of the pipes 31 32 is provided with a check-valve 31 32, which opens to pressure within the cylinder 33, but closes against the return of the gases through the pipes 31 32. The cylinder 36 is provided at its opposite ends with inlet-valves 47 48, which open to suction in the usual manner of air-pumps, and the pipes 34 and 35 are also provided with check-valves 34 and 35, which prevent the return of air therethrough.

The combustion -chambers communicate with the interior of the cylinder 15 through commodious pipes 49 and 50. As these two pipes and the valve mechanisms are alike, though the latter is timed differently, but one need to be described in detail.

A puppet-valve 51 is used and is seated so as to open inwardly as to the cylinder. The stem 52 of the valve projects through a suitable stufiing-box' and is loosely jointed to a lever 53, pivoted at 54 to a fixed bracket .55 and riding upon the periphery of a snail-cam 56, fixed upon a shaft 57, actuated from the shaft 58, which carries the gearwheel 40. The cam 56 is so formed that the lever 53 may fall. from its step when the piston 16 is at the inner end of its stroke. The pressure developed at this instant within the combustionchamber forces the valve 51 from its seat and the latter is not restored thereto until the piston 16 reaches the end of its outstroke. The valve 51 plays within a sufliciehtly-commodious chamber, so that ample space is provided for the passage by it of fluid to the full capacity of the pipe 50 until the valve practically reaches its seat, so that the cam 56 may be formed with a gradual rise for bringing the valve to its seat, the maximum of the swell of the cam being reached as the piston reaches the end of the stroke.

Two exhaust-ports 59 and 60 are provided, the one opening into the compartment 29 and the other into the compartment 30 of the exhaust-shell. The valve mechanism for controlling these two ports being identical, except as to timing of action, but one need be described. Each exhaust-port is closed by a puppet-valve opening outwardly from the chamber of the cylinder 15, such valve being shown at Gland having a suitable guide-stem 62 and being normally held to its seat by a spring 63. The upper end of the stem 62 bears against the periphery of asnail-cam 64, mounted upon the shaft 57 and so timed that its step releases the stem 62 from downward pressure when the piston 16 is at the outer end of its stroke,thereby allowing the valve to rise in op position to the spring 63 and in response to the pressure within the cylinder. The periphery of the cam 64 reaches its maximum radius after a gradual swell when the piston has reached the end of its instroke, thereby forcing the valve 61 to its seat. This valve plays in a sufficiently-commodious chamber, so that ample passage is allowed for the exit of the fluid contents of the cylinder until the valve is practically seated.

The snail-cams for controlling the two induction-ports and the two exhaust-ports of the cylinder are all mounted upon the same shaft 57 and are timed to open the valves they severally control in succession. The gear 40 being double the size of the pinion 41, by which it is driven, the shaft 57 rotates with one-half the speed of the power-shaft 18, so that each of the induction and exhaust valves is actuated once in two revolutions of the power-shaft. The several snail-cams are therefore set at intervals of ninety degrees apart. For convenience the several valves are lettered A B C D in the order in which they are actuated. Assuming thepiston 16 to be at the end of its instroke and the cam 56 for controlling the valve Ahaving reached a position so that the lever 53 has just dropped from its step, the explosion having occurred within the corresponding combustion-chamber, power is applied through the port at A to drive the engine piston outwardly, the other three valves remaining closed. When the piston has reached the end of its outstroke, the valve at A is closed and the exhaust-valve at B opens and remains open during the next instroke of the piston 16, closing at the end of such stroke. During this out-and-in movement of the piston 16 the piston-rod 37 has been moving in the direction of the top of the sheet in Fig. 1-, thereby filling the air-chest 27 and the radiator inclosed within it. At the end of the instroke of the piston 16 the exhaust-valve at B reaches its seat and the valve at O is unseated, an explosion occurring within the combustionchamber; with which it cooperates. The pressure is now applied to drive the piston 16 outwardly through the valve at O, which closes at the end of the outstroke of the piston, the exhaust-valve at D opening at the same instant and remaining open until the end of the following instroke of the piston. This completes the cycle of the engine; but it will be seen that two explosions have occurred, so that power is applied at each outstroke of the piston. The volume of air inclosed Within the chests 27 and 28 so greatly exceeds the capacity of the radiators that in its passage therethrough it sweeps out all of the burned gases, thoroughly cleansing the combustionchamber in readiness for the succeeding charge. The heat developed by the explosions is communicated to a volume of air so large that a temperature is not attained within the power-cylinder which is inimical to the proper operation of the engine, and hence it is entirely unncessary to make use of a water-jacket orother means for absorbing and carrying away heat in excess of that which can be utilized and transformed into power. Not only, therefore, is the great inconvenience of a water-jacket or other cooling agent avoided, but the energy which has heretofore necessarily been lost through such agency and which amounts to a very large part of all of the power developed is utilized.

Any suitable igniting device may be employed. A suitable location for the sparkingelectrodes of an electric igniter is indicated at 65, one for each of the combustion-chambers, and an electric circuit, together with circuit-breaking mechanism, is conventionally shown at 66.

The details of the invention may be worked out in a variety of ways. The invention broadly consists in means for developing power exteriorly to the power-cylinder and communicating a considerable part of the energy to the body of compressed air which is employed to cleanse the combustion-chamber and to drive the piston of the engine.

I claim as the invention of the said JOHN ROURK, deceased 1. In a gas-engine, in combination, apowercylinder, an explosion-chamber exterior to but connected with the power-cylinder, an air-chamber inclosing the explosion-chamber,

a valve for automatically opening communication from the air-chamber to the explosionchamber, and means for causing intermittent combustion in the explosion-chamber.

2. In a gas-engine, in combination, a powercylinder, an explosion-chamber exterior to but connected with the power-cylinder, an air-chamber inclosing the explosion-chamber, a valve for automatically opening communication from the air-chamber to the explosionchamber, means for forcing the explosive charge into the explosion-chamber, means for forcing air into the air-chamber, and means for intermittently firing the explosive charge within the explosion-chamber.

3. In a gas-engine, in combination, a powercylinder, an explosion-chamber exterior to but connected with the power-cylinder, an air-chamberinclosing the explosion-chamber, a valve for automatically opening communication from the air-chamber to the explosionchamber, a casing inclosing the air-chamber, an exhaust-port opening from the power-cylinder into said last-named casing, a valve for controlling such port, and a valve for the connection between the explosion-chamber and the power-cylinder, and means for opening said valves in alternation.

4:. In a gas-engine, in combination, apowercylinder, a pair of explosion-chambers each being exterior to and connected with the power-cylinder,an air-chamber inclosing each explosion-chamber, a valve for the passage connecting each explosion-chamber with the power-cylinder, means for opening said valves in alternation, and means for intermittently firing the charge within the explosion-chamber.

PATRICK H. ODONNELL, Administrator of the estate of John Rourk,

deceased.

Witnesses:

E. M. KLATOHER, LOUISE M. LARSEN. 

